Industries

RSS

Over the years, just about all organizations have adopted a continuous improvement program, many based on lean principles. But there’s a key question that often never gets asked: How does a company know where to improve next?

Whenever anyone mentions hybrid-electric vehicles today, most people automatically think of cars, buses and trucks. But, up in the sky, the technology is also getting a lot of attention from aerospace engineers. That’s because electric systems are greener, lighter, quieter and more energy-efficient than traditional alternatives.

Comparative claims can be positive or negative, subjective or objective. But, in every instance, their main purpose is illustrative. A common example is when someone claims that a person or process is “as slow as molasses” (which, by the way, has a viscosity of only 5,000 to 10,000 centipoise [cps]).

The need to reduce vehicle weight has spawned myriad new technologies for assembling aluminum, high-strength steel and other materials. These new technologies include self-piercing rivets, flow-drilling screws and friction-stir spot welding.

Seating is something that most people never think about when they get behind the wheel. But, it plays an important role in overall customer satisfaction.

While there are many different types of trends you can and should reference throughout the new product design and development process including macro, consumer and industry, aesthetic design trends may be some of the harder nuts to crack.

Static pressure is the amount of impact or resistance against airflow by various system components on the airflow path within a given system.

BLDC motors use electronic instead of mechanical commutation to control the power distribution to the motor. Latching Hall-effect sensors, mounted in the motor, are used to measure the motor’s position, which is communicated to the electronic controller to spin the motor at the right time and right orientation.